Fish & Wildlife Service proposing to shoot barred owls to save spotted owls in the Northwest

December 9, 2023

By SAGE VAN WING/Oregon Public Broadcasting In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed shooting over 400,000 barred owls over the next 30 years in order to save endangered spotted owls. The agency has experimented with shooting barred owls in the past. Now, they are proposing to do it on a much larger scale. Kessina Lee, supervisor of the

County commissioners must try to help protect local watersheds

December 8, 2023

To the editor: As a resident of South Beach for 25 years, I’ve observed that each summer becomes drier, earlier. I am extremely concerned about the future of water in our coastal communities. If there’s anything I hope we can agree on right now, it’s that the science is very clear on the future of our water, if we fail

Donations to Oregon Cultural Trust can help Lincoln County organizations

December 8, 2023

To the editor For more than two decades, the Oregon Cultural Trust has played an essential role in enriching cultural resources across our state by supporting more than 1,600 nonprofits. The Cultural Trust and its donors continue to weave a unique and awe-inspiring cultural tapestry, united by artistry, defined by stories and guided by wisdom. Now, the Cultural Trust is

Judge will rule that Lincoln County can use business licenses to regulate vacation rentals, but expects appeal

December 7, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Lincoln County’s hotly contested ordinances regulating vacation rentals do not fall under Oregon’s land-use laws and the county can oversee them with its business licensing program, a circuit court judge said this week. Lincoln County pro-tem judge Joseph Allison said during a hearing Monday that he has drafted most of his long-awaited ruling challenging the county’s

What should Yachats’ lodging tax be? City council begins discussing possible raise from 9 percent to ???

December 7, 2023

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews YACHATS – There appears to be little question whether Yachats will raise its lodging tax on motels and vacation rentals. What is undecided is the percentage increase and when it might take effect. The subject of raising the city’s 9 percent room tax, which is the biggest source of revenue for the city, came up during a

Newport bank only bidder for radio station headquarters and tower properties

December 7, 2023

NEWPORT – Oregon Coast Bank was the only bidder Tuesday when the Lincoln County Sheriff auctioned off the headquarters and two tower properties of financially troubled Yaquina Bay Communications. The bank – which had been battling radio station owner David Miller for loan repayments for several years – bid $570,005. The auction, held in the courthouse hallway outside the

Some want repeal. Others want tweaks to Measure 110. But nobody seems to want the status quo in Oregon’s drug crisis

December 7, 2023

By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregonians who packed a legislative hearing on the state’s addiction crisis and flooded the Legislature with passionate testimony have vastly different viewpoints, but on one thing they agree — the status quo is not working. Some want to repeal Measure 110, the state’s voter-approved drug decriminalization law. Others say it needs to be

Group sues Oregon Secretary of State Griffin-Valade to keep Trump off May primary ballot

December 7, 2023

By JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The national advocacy group trying to block former President Donald Trump from appearing on primary ballots filed a lawsuit with the Oregon Supreme Court on behalf of five Oregon voters on Wednesday. The legal complaint comes less than a week after Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced she wouldn’t keep Trump’s name off primary ballots

PacifiCorp agrees to $299 million settlement for Southern Oregon wildfire in 2020

December 7, 2023

By RYAN HASS/Oregon Public Broadcasting PacifiCorp, the parent company of the Oregon electric utility Pacific Power, will pay out $299 million to settle lawsuits related to a 2020 wildfire in Southern Oregon that destroyed around 170 homes. Tuesday’s settlement, first reported by Bloomberg, resolves years of legal wrangling over the Archie Creek Fire, which burned more than 130,000 acres along the

Five days of rain swamps central Oregon coast — but forecasters say we’re over the worst of it

December 6, 2023

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews Well, that was a doozy. Continuous heavy rain for five days dumped between 10 and 17 inches of rain on the central Oregon coast through Wednesday, pushing rivers over their banks in spots and flooding some streets – but causing little damage or problems otherwise except along portions of the Siletz River. For longtime weather watchers,